O give thanks to the
Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 107:1)

Evidently her tone of
voice when she called each of her children convinced them this was a command
appearance. She was up early the next Saturday. The day was devoted to
preparing all their favorite foods and inspecting every nook and cranny of her
small but comfortable home. She wanted it looking like a featured home in Better
Homes & Gardens for them. She'd set dinner for five p.m. Her plan was
to feed them a good dinner, get them relaxed and comfortable, and then casually
over dessert announce she had something important to tell them.

As she sliced and diced
her way through the afternoon she wondered why she felt so nervous. Am I
that dependent on their approval? She realized that perhaps she was. Her
family was familiar. Liam was uncharted territory. She loved her family, but
they were so busy with their own lives she only got to savor them in bits and
pieces. It was like sampling the buffet line but seldom ever really going away
satisfied.

Liam seemed prepared to
chase the word “lonely” out of her vocabulary. Yet, he had so few happy
memories of either the families that raised him or the one he attempted to
create as an adult. He seemed to have a “good riddance” attitude toward the
people in his family. She treasured everyone in hers. Even, she reluctantly
admitted to herself, Chet. Even after all this time, she sometimes still missed
him and wished she could find a re-wind button for their lives over the past
years since Chet made his big announcement about wanting out. She wished she
could send Shirley on a long trip somewhere and talk with Chet about what
really happened. She wanted an academy-award-worthy “good-bye” scene with Chet.
After all, he had been her leading man for most of her adult life. Are you
trying to fix this again? She heard both Elaine and Dr. Thorpe's voices in
her head, trying to lead her away from the past and push her forward into the
future.

She sighed as her many
confusing and conflicting thoughts permeated the kitchen along with the smell
of the pot roast roasting in the oven. Liam was offering a second chance at
love and a settled home life. He’d be a built-in travel companion, and someone
to discuss the contents of the daily paper. All the things she missed and
wanted more than anything else. Yet, there was this nagging doubt. It's
because I haven't been in this situation for so many years. I don’t know how to
handle myself. She finally ran out of time for tossing the pros and cons of
a future with Liam back and forth like an endless ping-pong match.

The first car pulled
into the driveway. Cat, Jerry and the kids charged through the front door and
hugged her. Jerry whistled when he saw the elaborate table set for dinner.
“Wow. Is it Thanksgiving?”

“No. Just a mom
thrilled to have everyone here together again.”

The kids went off to
the guest room to see if there were any new treasures for them in the old trunk
Ellie had converted into a toy chest. Cat and Jerry helped themselves to the canned
drinks in the fridge.

A few minutes later Ike
and Jodi arrived with more hugs all around. Almost immediately the kids came
out of the guest room to announce they were hungry and bored. As if on cue,
Jerry opened the back door and commanded, “Go outside and play until we call
you.”

A few more minutes
passed before Ben, Missy and their family arrived. More hugs all around. More
drinks pulled from the fridge. Two more children chased outside.

Ellie dropped the bowl
she was carrying to the stove for the rice. Three people tried to grab paper
towels to pick up the shattered pieces. Ellie stood there watching as though
she were in a trance. Cat gave up her place on the floor and stood up to survey
the scene.

“Mom, are you okay? You
look, I don’t know, sort of weird or something.”

“Oh, all of you. Just
stop. I need to talk to you. All of you. Right now.”

That got their
attention. They lined up around the counters of the kitchen and waited. Ellie
took in a deep breath and let her jumbled-up thoughts fly out.

“I'm engaged. To Liam.
Last weekend. We're getting married the weekend before the Fourth. I want all
of you there.”

There. She'd said it.
The first reaction was total silence. Then awkward glances from one person to
another. Finally Ben took the plunge. “Well, this is certainly news!
Congratulations. I guess, I mean, we hardly know the man. Are you sure?”

Next Cat ventured an
opinion. “Mom, don’t you think this is a little quick? What's the rush? You
aren't pregnant, are you?”

That got a round of
nervous laughs.

“No, I'm quite sure of
that. That's about all I'm sure about. And no, I'm not sure at all. But I like
the way I feel when I'm with him. I like all the attention he lavishes on me.
And I like the idea of having someone my own age to go places with and do
things with and cook for and . . . Well, I'm not ready to discuss the rest of
this with my children, for God's sake.”

Cat moved closer to
Ellie and gave her a big hug. “Mom, if this is what you want, then of course
we'll support you. What do you need from us?”

Ellie started to cry.
“I don’t know. I guess most of all your approval. I mean, you all mean the
world to me. I don’t know what I'd have done without you when . . .”

Though she couldn't
finish the sentence they all knew she referred to those difficult first months
after the divorce.

Ike chimed in, “This
calls for a celebration! Is there any champagne in the house?”

“No. I didn't think of
that.”

Jerry spoke next. “Not
to worry. I happen to have several bottles of very good wine in the car. I
stocked up this morning and forgot to take it into the house when I got home.
Back in a flash.”

“So where's the lucky
man?” asked Cat. “Shouldn't he be here?”

“I wanted to tell you
all first. I wasn't sure how you'd react. I can call him.”

“Do that. He's got to take
the plunge and dive into the pool of this family life sooner or later,” agreed
Missy.

A half hour later a
freshly showered and shaved Liam arrived at the door, with a bottle of
champagne. Dinner went well. Everyone was in a good mood. The food was perfect.
The children were happy to be with their cousins. After dinner they were sent
off to watch a movie in the guest room.

The adults decided the
best way to handle the situation was to talk about everything except the reason
they were gathered together. Over the next couple of hours they covered
sports—Liam rooted for teams the rest of them rooted against. They discussed
politics enough to decide that topic needed to stay off the table. They
discussed religion. Liam pledged his support of Ellie's traditions, given he
had none of his own. Before Liam arrived, Ellie had given them the head-line
version of his childhood and failed previous marriage. So they knew to steer
clear of talk about his family.

Finally they landed on
stories about places they'd traveled and the interesting people they'd met
along the way. Liam could name two exotic places for any one place anyone else
discussed. And, he said several times, he planned to take Ellie around the
world. It was his dream to get to every continent and now that he had Ellie to
go with him, he was ready for the journey to begin.

The evening finally
ended when two of the cousins started fighting. Cat announced it was already
nine-thirty and time to start shuffling kids home and to bed. A half hour later
the last family unit left.

Liam spoke first. “I
can't leave you with this mess. Let me help you clean up.” A half hour later he
took her hand and led her to the couch. Ellie settled in against him, relaxed,
relieved, exhausted, and hopeful for the future.

Synopsis

After thirty years of marriage, Ellie is shocked and hurt when her husband leaves her. She realizes she must come to grips with her emotional journey to discover a new way to live. When she meets the charming Liam, she finds a glimmer of hope. Through a family crisis Ellie soon learns that the post-divorce world means finding her own way, with the help of family and friends. Asunder with Discussion Guide (Scripture-based) is perfect for church groups and book clubs.

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